Emergency care is declining across regional NSW with new data revealing patients are waiting longer for urgent treatment.
The latest Bureau of Health Information Healthcare Quarterly, released today, shows more than 65,000 people didn’t start their treatment on time in major regional hospitals.
Manning Base Hospital in Taree was among the most concerning, with just 44 per cent of patients being seen on time, a major drop of 12 per cent compared to last year.
The report also revealed fewer patients are leaving emergency departments within a four-hour period, and it is taking longer to transfer them from an ambulance to the E.D.
Shadow Minister for Regional Health, Gurmesh Singh, said country communities are being put at risk.
“There’s no question emergency care across regional NSW is in crisis, and we need the Health Minister to remember his responsibilities extend beyond just Sydney” Mr Singh said.
“Not only are we seeing our emergency departments go backwards in the past 12 months, but we are hearing from people on the ground about how dire the situation is.
“885 patients every day across regional NSW are stuck in the emergency department for more than four hours, which is a huge increase on this time last year.
“All we’ve seen from the Minns Labor Government is broken promises and resources constantly stripped back. It’s not good enough and it’s pushing our regional health system to breaking point.”
